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Labour and FG are failing to protect right to housing – Ellis

Sinn Fein Housing spokesperson Dessie Ellis TD has said that the government are failing to protect the right to a home. He made his comments as part of a debate on the performance of the government since elected.

Speaking to the Minister for Housing he said;

“We have well over 110,000 men, women and children in desperate need of decent, secure accommodation and 5000 homeless. Yet 29 homes were built for social housing in Dublin last year.

“Sixteen families go newly homeless in Dublin every week. Yet the government claims they will end homelessness by 2016. You are either naïve beyond belief or you are lying.

“NAMA housing, proposed as the solution to housing shortages, has delivered under 500 homes out of a promised 4000.

“Despite what some might say, it gives me no great pleasure to say these things. I would be very happy if I was not receiving calls every day from new people at risk of losing their rented home, languishing on huge waiting lists or living in crumbling housing in desperate need of refurbishment. But this is unfortunately the case.

“The Minister stood in here this morning and quoted figures of great boosts in spending but we have heard such figures before and they never seemed to really materialise. She said that she would accept reasonable suggestions but she has ignored all alternatives.

“We do know for certain that the housing budget has been cut by over one billion euro since 2008 and in 2013 the government in its wisdom decided to cut a further 58 million from housing in 2014.

“The effects of these cuts are much more tangible than the promises of the Minister. This is the story of your government’s housing policy and its abject failure to address the housing crisis.

“No plan has been put in place with Local Authorities to significantly boost social housing numbers. There is still time for this government to make a real difference but it would require an about turn.”